General cargo vessel AMP Crystal suffered engine failure on the afternoon of January 22nd while ballasting in the Tsugaru Strait, en route from Kashima to Niigata. The vessel was brought to anchor off Mutsu with the help of tugs. Local fishermen requested a rapid relocation of the vessel, which was anchored close to fixed fishing nets and traps. The vessel was taken on tow in the morning of January 25th to be towed to Hakodate, Hokkaido. According to database AMP Crystal is covered by West of England P&I Club through owner AMP Crystal Shipping Ltd.
Tug MLC Power III ran aground on the evening of January 23rd on the coast off Kandis, Bachok district, Malaysia, near the Thai-Malay border in the South China Sea. The tug had a barge in tow, loaded with 5,800 tons of limestone, The grounding was said to have been caused by stormy weather. No information yet on salvage.